We have been living our motto "Making Our Votes
Count - Making Our Voices Heard" at the national and local level.
LWVUS President Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins was one of ten moderators
across the country at a national Town Hall Meeting simulcast on the
Internet featuring United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, at which
the role of the UN in combating international terrorism was discussed.
LWV was a national co-sponsor of the event, along with the United
Nations Association of the USA and the UN Foundation. The Town Hall
Meeting was held in ten cities and was simulcast live by satellite from
New York. Mr. Walter Cronkite was the national moderator in New York.
The IR Committee will present a video of this event at their November 9
meeting (see below).

On the local front, we recently testified before the
D.C. City Council in support of the local selection/election by our
local officials of an Attorney General and selection of local judges.

On another note, there is an ongoing discussion
throughout the League on the status and purpose and function of the
Units. We will attempt to enter into the dialogue and share with you, in
the coming months, our "definition/understanding" of how Units
should function.

Our membership has increased by twenty-eight members,
primarily through the increase at the Ingleside Residential Home, at
which members from other local areas now reside. The Chevy Chase Unit
will join with Ingleside to form a new Unit. An evening unit will start
meeting November 15 at Sumner School.  E. Patricia Hallman, President

The November units will be devoted to Voters Service,
perhaps the sine qua non of League activities. The DC League
participates in a variety of activities within this category, ranging
from welcoming and providing information to newly sworn citizens, to
initiating and running candidates' meetings, to commenting on proposed
election reform legislation. Further, the DC League is unique among
Leagues in its fight for the most basic of civil
rights---self-determination or full representation in Congress and
expansion of home rule. These are only examples. Come to a unit meeting
to hear about our various voters service programs, comment on them,
suggest improvements or additional activities and, perhaps, choose an
effort in which you'd like to participate.

We are not abandoning the topic originally planned
for November units, Transportation in the National Capital Area (NCA).
Rather, Beth Cogswell, CoChair of the NCA Transportation Committee and
member of the Arlington LWV, has generously agreed-to lead a meeting on
this important subject on Tuesday, December 4, from 1 pm to e pm, at the
LWVUS headquarters, 1730 M Street NW, 10th floor. This informational
meeting will focus on how decisions are made in this complicated,
multi-jurisdictional area. Consensus meetings may follow next year. Mark
the date on your calendar and look for more information in our December
VOTER.

Evening Unit to meet downtown November 15th. To
better serve the needs of our working members, The Evening Unit, which
heretofore has met in members' homes in upper northwest, will hold its
November meeting at The Sumner School, located at Seventeenth and M
Streets, NW. We hope working members will come after work for
refreshments and social interaction at 6 pm: the substance of the
meeting will begin at 6:30 pm, when street parking on 17th Street
becomes legal for those coming from a distance. For those unfamiliar
with the school, The Sumner School, named for famed abolitionist Senator
Charles Sumner, was built seven years after the close of the Civil War
to educate the black children of the District and Georgetown.
Beautifully restored and now serving as a museum, it is easily reached
by Metro: Red line (Farragut North) or Orange/Blue line (Farragut West).

Next Unit Council Meeting

Unit Council will hold its next meeting of Unit
Co-Chairs on Monday, November 12 from 11:30 - 1 PM (note change of time)
at the LWVDC Office. Any member interested in plans for the Units is
invited call me for details.  Sheila Keeny, Unit Director (966-1692)

On Saturday, October 27th, the United Nations
Association of the National Capital Area awarded the DC League for its
outreach to new citizens. Each month, the DC League provides the new
citizen with voter registration forms and information at a reception
following the their swearing-in ceremony. During election years, these
new citizens are mailed the Voters Guide that is published by the
League. Elinor Hart accepted the award for the League. Congratulations
to the Voters Service Committee.

The Saturday event "United Nations Global
Community Day" was a celebration of the U.N.'s 56th Anniversary.

With sadness we report the September 21, 2001, death
of long-time League member Edith M. Lesser. She was active in the DC
League as well as the National League. In the 1960's she was active in
the administrative work for the Overseas Education Fund of LWVUS. Mrs.
Lesser is survived by her husband, Dr. Arthur J. Lesser as well as a son
and daughter, four grandchildren, and a sister. DC Leaguer's remembering
Edith: "Edith worked hard with the League and the Home Rule
Committee back in the 1950's and 1960's when I was active. She was one
of the last of that period still alive along with me, and her passing is
a kind of milestone," writes former President, Jane K. Schwartz.

Contributions: We gratefully thank the following
members for additional contributions received to sustain the DC League's
programs: James Joseph, Barbara Luchs and Inez P. Wheeler. In memory of
Edith M. Lesser, we received contributions from Mrs. Robert L. Farr, Dr.
Janice H. Hopper, Clara G. Schiffer, and Jane K. Schwartz.

New Life members: Editor's note: Life member status is given to members
who have maintained their membership in the LWV for 50 years. If you
have been a LWV member since 1951 or before and your mailing label does
not indicate Life Member, please call the League office (347-3020).

Four committees--communication, development,
outreach, and public policy--have been formed. More volunteers are
needed for each of them and to do data entry of petition signers.
Volunteers have circulated petitions at Adams Morgan Day and at the
Black Family Reunion. These will be added to the database. Another way
you might help is by sending a contribution to 1500 U St., NW,
Washington, DC 20009. Full voting representation in Congress will come.
The question is when. The more help there is, the sooner the victory
will come.

If you can contribute your time and skills, call the
DC VOTE office, 462-6000.  Kathy Schmidt, Liaison (232-6460)

By the time this VOTER reaches your home, the
Affordable Housing Committee will have conducted five Unit meetings
where over 90 postcards were written and mailed to Council members
urging immediate action on the housing legislation. And, as this issue
goes to press, we have been advised that Councilmembers Evans and Brazil
sent a combined housing legislation bill to the Mayor and that this bill
will be available to the public on Friday, October 26, 2001.

Council members are listening and realize the need to
move swiftly if housing initiatives are to be included in the FY 2003
budget. Productive meetings have been held with Linda Cropp, Council
Chair, and Council members Kathy Patterson, Phil Mendelson, Jim Graham,
Adrian Fenty, Sharon Ambrose and Willie Lynch, Jr., Kevin Chavous' chief
of staff. Meetings in the pipeline include David Catania, Carol
Schwartz, Sandy Allen and Vincent Orange. We keep in touch on a regular
basis with Jeff Coudriet, Jack Evans' committee clerk, and Barry
Kriesworth, administrative assistant for Harold Brazil, the Council
members in whose committee the housing legislation rests. We also spent
an hour with Stan Jackson, the new director of the Department of Housing
and Community Development, urging completion of the comprehensive
housing plan for the District.

Over 60 percent of families of four in the District
earn less than $50,000 annually. The Housing Production Trust Fund, as
originally conceived, is the ONLY measure in the bills aimed at
low-income families and renters. We are please to see that a new draft
of the bill will be available October 26th, and we urge public hearings
to be held as soon as possible when we shall call upon League members to
lobby.  Liz Martin (537-3043) and Julia Cuniberti (3
87-0122), CoChairs.

The D.C. Fiscal Policy institute has issued an
analysis of Census Bureau figures on income and poverty in the District
that were released September 25, 2001. The analysis finds that poverty
fell substantially in the District between 1997 and 2000 and that median
income rose at a steady rate. At the same time, poverty in the District
remains high, incomes in the city are well below those in the
surrounding suburban areas, and events in 2001 - the economic slowdown
and the terrorist attack on the Pentagon - suggest that the situation
has worsened since the Census data were collected. You can view the
analysis at www.dcfpi.org.  Joan
Domike, Co-chair, Children At Risk Committee (966-3865)

October 9, 2001, Concerning PR 14-34, "Sense of the Council
Regarding the establishment of an Attorney General for the District
of Columbia Resolution of 2001 " and Bill 14-22,
"Local Selection of Judges Charter Amendment Act of 2001 "

"Chairman Cropp and Members of the Council in
the Committee of the Whole: The D.C. League of Women Voters is pleased
to join in presenting testimony today on the two important matters
before us. We strongly endorse the basic principle underlying both
proposals, namely, local control over local matters.

"Attorney General

"The Office of Attorney General as crafted in PR
14-34 is powerful. Nonetheless, in our view, the draft proposal
provides adequate protection for the federal interest. We agree with the
requirements for the Attorney General's being a qualified elector, a
D.C. resident for at least one year, and maintaining good standing
before the District of Columbia bar. Legal expertise is, of course, an
essential requirement. So, too, is managerial capability. The proposed
office, in addition to having new positions, will take over the current
Office of Corporation Counsel. We understand that the Corporation
Counsel currently is responsible for overseeing a staff of 225 lawyers
and 288 support staff, including paralegals and investigators. The
incumbent directs a $48 million operation (annual basis). With such
legal as well as managerial requirements, we understand why many state
jurisdictions have decided to have appointed attorneys general. On the
other hand, we recognize that many states have chosen to have elected
attorneys general, the approach called for in the draft measure. On
balance we could support either approach; we see advantages and
disadvantages in each. The essential point is establishment of local
control over matters in connection with local civil and criminal justice
and law enforcement.

"Judges.

"Additionally, we support restoration of local
selection of judges, through Mayoral appointment and with consent of the
Council. This again reflects our fundamental principle of local control
over local matters. Further, we support the approach for Mayoral, rather
than Presidential, appointment to the Judicial Nominating Commission. We
also support the vesting of the control of the administration, budget
and financing of the local District of Columbia courts in the District
Government. This, of course, poses consequences for the District's
budget. Nonetheless, the fundamental principle entailed warrants the
course of action proposed.

Several Meet and Greet Socials were held in September
in different areas of the city. The purpose of the socials was to offer
members in those areas a chance to meet each other, find out what they
wish the League would do, garner new members and indicate how they want
to participate in the League. Some of the Units hosted the socials and
offered wonderful refreshments.

Over 40 attendees, members and guests from five
sections of the city gathered. The members brought in some interested
persons who signed on as new members, offered suggestions as to what the
League could do, asked questions about the League and indicated where
they would be willing to serve.

Many were pleased with the idea of the socials and
indicated that they would be held more often, and discussed local issues
pertaining to their neighborhoods. In reply to our question "what
they would like the League to do?" we received many questions,
statements, and ideas in the following areas: Voter Service and Voter
Education; How the Unit System is structured and how it works; The need
to take action on issues; and Suggestions for outreach and education.
These will be presented to appropriate Board members and Committee
Chairs for review and response.

LWVUS
ELECTION REFORM 2001
Symposium

The committee met October 13, 2001 to develop an
agenda for the year. The complexity of the issues, the multiplicity of
organizations involved, and the shift of funding to security programs
from already threatened budgets were discussed as compelling reasons for
the League to keep focused on children's needs.

The shortage of shelter space and the approach of
winter makes the situation of homeless children a prime concern. The
Committee will collect information on the crisis to develop some
proposals for League testimony at budget time.

Meanwhile, the Committee has generated two letters,
one commending the school system for adopting after-school programming
for all schools in the District, and another to the Department of
Health, urging the hiring of a sufficient number of lead inspectors to
cover pending inspection requests for family-child care sites.

The Committee will follow the fate of the Act to
Leave No Child Behind (S.940 and H.R. 1990) introduced by Senator Dodd
and Representative George Miller on May 23, 2001. This legislation
embodies a comprehensive policy agenda developed by the Children's
Defense Fund. Proposed federal actions deal with health, safe
environments, supports for parents, child care and Head Start, public
education, economic support for low income families (child care
subsidies, tax credits, increase in minimum wage, improved unemployment
pay, among other measures), nutrition, housing, child welfare,
after-school programming, juvenile justice, and gun safety. The impact
of September 11th dims the prospect for this legislation.

Committee members have attended meetings with staff
of DC Action for Children, the Fair Budget Coalition, the Washington
Child Development Center, the D.C. Mental Health Association, and a
workshop on Infants and Toddlers at the National Academy of Science.

Any member interested in joining Children at Risk
(Committee) will be welcomed.  Joan Wilson (237-6264) and Joan Domike (966-3865) Co-Chairs.

A faithful volunteer for over six years, June Duke
moved on to other activities at the end of August. For a couple of hours
two mornings a week, the League office could count on June to come in to
answer the phone, do mailings, copying, sending out renewal notices,
typing thank you letters, and much more. Her cheerful countenance and
faithfulness to the League have been sorely missed. She was presented a
remembrance book signed by League members attending the Fall Luncheon, a
Certificate of Appreciation & a gift certificate for her service to
the League. The DC League is looking for another faithful volunteer 
could you be that person?

The very good news is that the League is not alone in
its efforts to improve voter education and participation. Guy Coriden
and Elinor Hart are representing the League in the Voting Systems
Project being spearheaded by the DC Appleseed Center. They are working
with a group of attorneys and civic leaders to explore the proposed
voting legislation described in the last DC VOTER and to look at plans
for educating DC voters about the new voting machines. This project
should prove very helpful in advocating for more effective voter
education efforts on the part of the District Government.

American University's law school also has a project
headed by Jamin Raskin that has a civic education component. During the
2000 election year, for example, Elinor, in response to Professor
Raskin's request, explained DC's voting registration policies and
procedures to AU law students and helped the students find appropriate
times and locations to do registration. The AU Law School now has a
program that brings law students into 19 high schools where they teach
about constitutional and voting rights. Elaine Melmed and Elinor Hart
are exploring possibilities for collaboration between the League and
AU's law school.  Guy Coriden (232-6759) and Elinor Hart (387-2966), Co Chairs.

Help a school earn free education equipment by
enrolling your Safeway or Giant Club card with the school of your
choice, and your purchases total will automatically be credited to that
school. Double credits will be given to all Safeway select items you
purchase.

LWVUS Cosponsors National Town Hall Meeting featuring Kofi Annan: On October
l1, one month after the acts of catastrophic terrorism at the World
Trade Center and the Pentagon, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was the
featured speaker at a National Town Hall Meeting held to discuss the
role of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism. Also
on the program in New York were Moderator Walter Cronkite; and, in
Denver, LWVUS President Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, who was one of ten
moderators of discussion groups in cities across the nation. The event
was simulcast live by satellite and seen in DC by a group assembled by
the Better World Campaign, primary sponsor of the project. Other
sponsors included the LWVUS, the United Nations Association, and the
United Nations Foundation. I was privileged to be one of the viewers of
the 35 minute interview with Secretary Annan, which was guided by Mr.
Cronkite who was in turn joined by Dr. Jenkins and the other regional
moderators.

IR Committee to Show Video at Open Meeting: A video of the event will be
shown at an open meeting of the IR Committee, which will be held from
12:30-2 pm on Friday. November 9, at the LWVUS Headquarters, 1730 M St.
NW, in the Rosalie Goodman Room. All Leaguers are invited. Since the
video lasts only 35 minutes, there will be ample opportunity to discuss
the many issues raised about the future role of the UN in view of the
totally new threats to world security. The video is also available for
use by the Units at their Units Choice meetings in December; it would
provide authoritative background for a discussion by Unit members of
some of the issues we now confront, most of which were quite unexpected
back in June 2000 when the LWV Convention agreed to restudy the League's
position on the UN. Unit members are encouraged to discuss this
opportunity at their November Unit meetings. 
Sheila Keeny,
Co-Chair, IR Committees

The October 3, 2001 LWVDC Board met in the LWVUS
Board room at 1730 M St., NW. President Hallman called the meeting to
order at 10:00 am.

Chris Matthews, Treasurer, reported that Sue Swisher
of the Arlington League audited our books this year for no fee;
furthermore, Sue offered to help us design a better bookkeeping system.
Naomi Glass moved, and the Board voted, to send a $100 contribution to
the Arlington League honoring Sue.

Pat Hallman reported a notice from management that
the Woodward Building (where we rent office space) will be renovated
starting in 2003.

Anna Marsh confirmed plans for the Brown Bag luncheon
on Monday October 22, to focus on the regional transportation funding
crisis.

Natalie Howard and Naomi Glass reported on the
CareFirst/Blue Cross coalition joined by DCLWV (as approved at the Sept.
Board meeting) to monitor plans for the conversion of CareFirst/BCBS to
for-profit status. It is likely that the coalition will either oppose
the conversion, or suggest conditions for transfer of funds in
connection with the conversion. The coalition has hired Walter Smith as
its staff, 'and is asking for a contribution. The Board approved a
motion that LWVDC contribute $100 to the coalition.

Reggie Yancey circulated a draft of a new brochure to
inform public and private groups or organizations of the services LWVDC is able to
provide to conduct or monitor private elections. The Board approved, and
the brochure will be prepared and reproduced in the office.

Janet Burmester reported for Sheila Keeny on IR
Committee activities. She reminded us that Global Community Day,
cosponsored by LWV and the United Nations Association (UNA) will take
place on October 27t". For that event, the UNA asks us to name a
program for recognition. It was agreed that our participation in the
ceremonies to welcome new citizens merits commendation.

Kathy Schmidt reported for DC VOTE that it has a Speakers' Bureau ready to go, and that it looks like
Congressional hearings won't be held before late spring.  Frances Gemmill (362-6784)

The Health Care Committee continues its studies
of health care issues in our city. At its September meeting, Ms. Rene
Wallis, Director of the D.C. Primary Care Association (DCPCA), urged us
to help make health care reform TOP PRIORITY. She described some of the
problems in our current health care system, e.g., more than 18,000 D.C.
citizens are uninsured; continuity of care is lacking for many with
chronic health care problems; and difficulties in applying for Medicaid
prevent many who need its services from applying. Briefly, Medicaid
programs are not "user friendly." She said the District spends
a large percentage of its health care dollars through Medicaid programs
that are often abused by professional providers.
Ms. Wallis outlined three major goals of the
DCPCA, developed by DCPCA committees including the Board of Directors,
Communities in Charge, and Medicaid Reform, as well as partner
coalitions including DC Action for Children and the Coalition for Fair
and Adequate Medicaid Reimbursement. Goal One: Increase the number of
insured by expanding Medicaid to pay for or cover 18,806 people; plan to
cover 55,000 more. Goal Two: Increase the number of insured by
attaining excellence in outreach, enrollment, and retention in Medicaid.
Goal Three: Improve the quality and stability of the primary care safety
net to improve health outcomes for 210,000 medically vulnerable people,
notably by providing additional financial support for free clinics. D.C.
Primary Care Association recommends strong community clinics as the
first line of defense in the city's health care structure.

The DCPCA also sponsors the Health Justice League DC
and the Health Justice Cafe, a program to inform you about health care
issues, on District Cable Channel 5 or Starpower Channel 10, on Monday
at 11:30 am, Wednesday at 7:30 pm, and Friday at 11:30 am.

The next meeting of the Health Care Committee will be on Tuesday,
November 27, 2001, 10:30 am at the LWVDC Office, 733 15 St., NW, Suite 432. At that meeting we will hear a speaker
from the Nursing Practices and Policy Association. Please plan to attend. Natalie Howard, Chair
(882-8762)

The D.C. League's annual fall luncheon took
place on September 20 at the Kellogg Conference Center of Gallaudet
University. A demonstration of the new voting machines presented by
Alice Miller and staff of the Board of Elections and Ethics preceded
the luncheon, complete with opportunity to use sample ballots,
enabling League members to familiarize themselves with the new system.
Lottery tickets for a "50-50" were available for purchase
thanks to Anna Marsh and Elaine Melmed, with the result that Marion
Sanger of the new Chevy Chase-Ingleside Unit won $92.50, and the DC
League added $92.50 to its income, to everyone's delight. (Ed. note:
We understand that Mrs. Sanger, in addition to her support for the
League, also volunteers at Martha's Table and Meals on Wheels).

Our luncheon speakers were Elinor R. Bacon, President
and CEO of the National Capital Revitalization Corporation (NCRC), and
Nancy Tate, LWVUS Executive Director. A moment of silence was observed
in respect to losses to our country in the terrorist attacks of
September 11th.

Ms. Bacon began her NCRC duties in January 2001. She
served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Housing
Investments, HUD; and as a private real-estate developer in Baltimore
with focus on affordable housing, historic preservation, and
development-management of public purpose urban projects.

The NCRC is an entrepreneurial real estate
development company, authorized to acquire and assemble parcels of land
for development, issue bonds, and enter into partnerships with private
industry to bring prosperity to some of the District's most underserved
neighborhoods. Its Board meetings are held in various communities, and
they are open to the public. Although, NCRC is supported by some public
funds as well as some Fannie Mae financial instruments, it needs to earn
its keep; thus, decisions are made on a business basis. Ms. Bacon is
supported by 10 professional staffers. One, Simone Goring, accompanied
Ms. Bacon at the luncheon; she is focused on Georgia Avenue, Columbia
Heights, and Howard University areas.

The NCRC has been given the responsibilities of the
old Redevelopment Land Agency, and it will soon acquire its assets. The
agency has the power of eminent domain, and it works closely with the
D.C. Office of Planning and Deputy Mayor Eric Price. The criteria for
selecting and defining projects are still being developed. The NCRC is
open to community ideas, and its Board meetings are open to the public.

Ms. Nancy Tate, LWVUS Executive Director, said
activities at LWVUS headquarters have refocused as Congress reorders its
priorities, following the events of September 11. The crisis has
demonstrated to the public the importance of government and how to
engage with the government.

Voting is basic. More than 700 Leagues are currently
involved in the LWV DNet for elections across the nation. The election
survey has yielded 450 returns, which will be analyzed and reported to
members. Ms Tate and staff are currently in the process of comparing
three Election Reform reports, which will be posted on the web. These
are: (1) the national Federal Election Reform report, (2) the
constitutional project, and (3) the Cal Tech-MIT report.  Barbara
Yeomans, 3rd Vice
President

HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER AS A REGION TO SOLVE OUR TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS?

Three panelists, all members of the Transportation Planning Board's
Citizens Advisory Committee, will address this basic question from
different perspectives at a brownbag lunch hosted by the D.C. League of
Women Voters on October 22, 2001. The session will be held 11:30 am
-1:00 pm at the League headquarters, 17th and M Streets, NW, Washington.
This is an open meeting.

Last year, the Transportation Planning Board estimated that the
Washington region needs an increase of more than 50 percent in funding
for transit and highways. If new funding is not provided, the majority
of the region's major highways will be stop-and-go throughout the day by
2025 and public transit will be unable to handle all of its potential
new riders.

The panelists at the brownbag session will discuss some key questions:
Are we really facing a regional transportation crisis? Is lack of
funding a fundamental cause of that problem, and, if so, what can be
done about it? Why should individual jurisdictions care about the
transportation needs of other localities? Is there anything that
concerned citizens can do to help solve our transportation problems?

The session will be moderated by D.C. Council member and Transportation
Planning Board Vice Chairman Phil Mendelson. The three panelists are:

Stephen Caflisch, past co-chair of the CAC. Mr. Caflisch is with the
Montgomery County Group of the Sierra Club.

Brenda Lee Richardson, CAC vice chair. Ms. Richardson is founder of
Women Like Us and is a long-time community organizer in the District of
Columbia.

The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) to the Transportation Planning
Board (TPB) is a group of 15 people from throughout the Washington
metropolitan region who represent diverse viewpoints on longterm
transportation policy. The TPB is the arm of the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments that coordinates transportation planning for the
entire metropolitan Washington region. The TPB includes elected local
officials, representatives from the state and District transportation
agencies, representation from the Washington Metropolitan Area
Transportation Authority (Metro), representatives from the state
legislatures, and other key officials. TPB staffing is provided by the
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).